One Too Many Chances
by bluedragonstorm
Summary: Bellatrix has just killed Sirius. Andromeda finds out from her daughter and Harry. The day after she gets the news, Andromeda writes a letter to Bellatrix.


**A/N: This is response to The Lists and Letters Challenge! ****By teddylupin-snape**

Prompt: A Letter with Andromeda and Bellatrix

Background: Bellatrix has just killed Sirius. Andromeda sends her a letter to her sister after getting the news.

Title: One Too Many Second Chances

_Dear Bella,_

_I know that you will mostly likely never read this. For all I know, you are watching this letter burn in a fireplace somewhere. But I'll continue to write it. You know very well that I was always the stubborn one among the three of us._

_Ha, the three of us! We aren't even together anymore. I haven't seen you or Cissy in years. I don't know what I'd do if I did. Would I cry, laugh, or attack you? My mind is a jumble right now. I could blame it on old age, but we both know that's a lie. I'm as capable now as any other witch._

_I could waste time talking about the old days. When we were all so young. Just children, eager to please our parents. I wanted to make them proud, you know, just as much as you and Cissy did. But I never could. They loved the darkness, as do you. I couldn't accept that. I wish I could show you how beautiful the light can be…_

_I compare the two of us, you know. I compare our past, our visions of the future. I compare our husbands. I hear about how you throw yourself at Old Voldy. He's ancient, Bella! He's sadistic and incapable of love. Maybe that's why you try so hard. That's why you went for Rodolphus Lestrange, wasn't it? You wanted someone sadistic, someone who couldn't really love you. You wanted a challenge._

_It doesn't matter to me. It used to. I would stay up at night, crying into Ted's shoulder. Asking him why it had to be like this. Asking him if you would change, if you even could. And he whispered words of comfort over and over. And I grew to accept a few things._

_I know that you will never change, even if I still wish every night that you will. I know that you will continue to hate me, even when I know that somewhere deep down...I still love you, despite everything. I know that I can't change the past and I know that I wouldn't want to._

_There are some things that need to happen. Everyone needs to feel a little pain to feel the good thing, too. Everyone needs to fight to finally reach peace. And in your own, twisted way…I know that you are trying to do that. To get something good out of something bad. But you'll never get it. And I truly could not pity anyone more than I pity you because of this._

_Voldemort…there is no chance for redemption with him. But you? My Bella could beat this. My Bella could fight back, struggle, survive, and come out on top. Just like the perfect Slytherin that our parents said you were. But my Bella is gone. She died when you took the mark, when I was taken off of the family portrait. My Bella is dead and never will return, no matter how much begging I do._

_And I know that you are too insane, too deranged, too lost in your own disturbing mind to even care right now, that is if you are reading this at all. And to tell you the truth…I don't care. I don't care that you may never read this. I don't care that you will never change your ways. I don't care that you will hate me until the day you die. I just don't care anymore._

_And do you want to know why? It's because I've given you one too many second chances, Bella. I may not have ever said this to your face, but I've forgiven you. So many damn times, Bella! I forgave3you for everything and you never knew, never cared. I doubt you'll even care now. But I forgave you._

_When you teased me as a child. When you told our parents about my relationship with Ted. When you took the Dark Mark. When you were found guilty of torturing, KILLING, so many innocents. When you escaped Azkaban and continued to follow the orders of that vile creature, that hideous excuse for a man! I forgave EVERY DAMN THING, BELLA! Over and over again!_

_And what do I get for all that forgiveness. I get my daughter and Harry Potter standing in front of me, tears running down their faces as they tell me that my favorite cousin was killed by you. And it broke something in me, Bella. I stopped forgiving you. Because you can't forgive someone like you. _

_Someone so horrible, so malicious, that they would murder their own family while my DAUGHTER watched. He was our COUSIN! Do you understand that, Bella? Do you understand what a heinous act you have committed? Can you finally understand how many lives you have ruined with your very existence?! I'm sure you haven't. You're too self-absorbed, too misguided to see the error of your ways._

_I'm done. I'm just done with you, Bella. Did you know what I dreamed of that night? When I found out that you killed Sirius. I dreamed that I hunted you down. I dreamed that I made you feel every ounce of pain that I felt. That Sirius felt. That all your victims felt. And when I woke up, I cried._

_I cried for you Bella. Because even after all you had done, I still loved you. I still do and I always will. But I will NEVER forgive you. Never again. I'm your sister. We share the same blood. How could we be so different? How could it turn out like this? How?_

_…I don't have any answers, Bella. Not a single one. Because there isn't an answer for everything, like you think there is. Killing muggles, muggle-borns, blood-traitors…it won't solve anything. Because people like you, like Voldemort…they don't just have problems. They ARE problems. The kind of problems that don't have a simple solution, the kind of problems that can't be fixed without a lot of work._

_I'm ready to send this letter. I'm ready to give it to an unregistered owl and wait for a reply that won't come. I'm ready to put this quill down and forget. Forget what you've done. Forget you. Forget that I still love you. Because as of today, you are my sister in blood only. But in my heart, in my soul…you aren't my sister. In fact, you aren't even Bella to me anymore. You are just another nameless Death Eater that I will pity when all of this is over. _

_Sincerely, Andy_

**A/N: I'll admit it was a bit dark, but this is what I pictured a letter from Andromeda to Bellatrix would be like. I haven't really written something like this before, so it was interesting. I hope I did this justice.**


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